Three food halls opening soon
Been meaning to link to Eater’s previews of three large food halls expected to open downtown soon. Besides the Le Central market described in that piece, Time Out Market will open in the Eaton Centre, and Le Cathcart in Place Ville-Marie.
It’s the big time for downtown lunchers, I guess.
Michael Black 11:34 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
I thought something like this was opening up on St Catherine street just east of Guy. A few years ago there was construction a few doors away from the Pharmaprix with signs that suggested a food hall or market. But the construction was finished and no big announcement, so I keep forgetting. I think something else is there now, but nothing very clear. It makes me wonder if I misinterpreted the sign, or if the end project fell through.
Of course Le Faubourg was a good food place when it opened, not just the variety of fast food restaurants, but a bakery, Plantation for fruits and vegetables, a butcher, a bulk food place and others. It was great until the endless construction set in.
Michael
Ghost of Ginger Baker 12:29 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
^nyet nyet nyet tavariche!
The Faubourg had a shelf life; it was very much a project of its era. The Faubourg’s problems started with the successful rehabilitation of the surrounding neighbourhood… the ‘celebration marketplace’ idea may have worked in various American cities but in Montreal it was always a smidge out of place. It came about after Dawson moved into the motherhouse, as the CCA was going up, when Concordia began its capital campaign and the Shaughnessy Village was getting its heritage status. It served those needs when the need was new.
Moreover, it was always a for-profit development, not a public market (we can debate whether it should have been picked up by the city and converted into a public market), and as such, once the western stretch of Ste-Cat’s began picking up steam again in the early-mid oughts the Faubourg redeveloped all its frontage on Ste-Cat’s as standalone retail spaces. There was then no reason to go inside. As area rents increased, so did the FB’s which in turn provided no incentive to extant businesses to remain.
We forget as well the Bourg was originally an ‘everything under one roof’ type affair: the office building on Guy was originally a hotel. Classrooms in the basement used to be a cinema. Not all economic stimuli are created equal; students are very different from urban DINKs.
The food halls are a welcome change from the food courts, but let’s be real – it’s a fad, and in twenty years when the fas is completely exhausted, we’ll be waxing poetic on how great they were.
jeather 12:46 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
There was that food hall thing downtown 10-15 years ago — maybe near McGill College? It was fun to go to, though I can’t remember when it closed or why.
thomas 14:04 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
@jeather You might be thinking of Mövenpick which was in PVM. I think it closed simply because the weak economy. Just as well though, the von Finck family that owns it has a long history of funding fascist politics that continues to this day.
jeather 14:15 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
Oh yes, that was it.
Uatu 20:27 on 2019-10-09 Permalink
The le Cathcart artist renderings remind me of Les Terraces back in the 80s.